BLOG: ‘Dele Alli is surely a target for world class teams’

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Published:12:03Friday 06 January 2017

Football writer Ieuan Ivett explaines what he’s learned so far from this season’s Premier League.

Alli hits form

Dele Alli has scored six goals in his last three games for Tottenham. The young midfielder scored two headers against Chelsea last night to silence the Premier League favourites to their first loss in 14 matches. The midfielder cost the north London side £5 million and has to be one of the best purchases in the whole Premier League era. The 20 year old now has 10 goals in the League and is sure to be a target for many world class teams around the globe this transfer window.

Chelsea are not invincible

After 13 impressive wins in a row, Chelsea have finally lost a match. Their London based rivals, Tottenham, beat them 2-0 with England youngster Dele Alli scoring two headers. Chelsea still remain heavy favourites to lift the trophy but now they’ve been beaten, this will give teams greater confidence when facing them; knowing that one or three points is a possibility. Hazard and Costa still remain a huge threat to the League’s defences and should help Chelsea to march on along with their solid defensive options.

Liverpool have shaky start to 2017

Klopp and Liverpool did not begin the new year in fashion, drawing with relegation candidates Sunderland. Liverpool showed attacking flair as always however a sheer lack of defensive discipline. It is widely agreed that Liverpool’s defence could be the downfall to their title hopes, and conceding two penalties in one match only backed up that view. The ever-clinical Jermaine Defoe was able to punish Liverpool for their errors which meant two points dropped for Klopp’s men. Defensive reinforcements are a must for Liverpool this January if they wish to have any chance of overtaking Chelsea.

Fernandihno ban

The Brazialian midfielder continues to rack up the cards this season and has now been punished with a four match ban. After his most recent sending off against Burnley for a reckless challenge; Pep Guardiola must find a replacement to take on his role in the midfield during his absence. The midfielder is becoming a reliability for Manchester City having now been sent off in three of his last six games in all competition. His defensive midfield partner, Yaya Toure, will need a replacement who can sit in front of the back four; otherwise we could see a weakness in their midfield for the upcoming fixtures.

Praise to Pulis

West Brom continue to impress with their unlikely winning form this season. Their squad on paper shouldn’t be performing to the level of which they are, therefore praise must be given to manager Tony Pulis. West Brom got an impressive 2-1 win away at Southampton and then a 3-1 victory at home to Hull. The creative nature of their attacking line up has helped the Baggies to score plenty of eye-catching goals, with Nacer Chadli and Matty Phillips continuing to cause havoc to defenses. Although they are currently a fair few points away from Manchester United, West Brom are outside contenders for a European spot. Pulis must continue whatever he’s doing down at the Hawthorns.